


The Supplement

by DakotaUndomiel



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alien Invasion, Alien Technology, Aliens, Gen, Science Fiction, short fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 02:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10755165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DakotaUndomiel/pseuds/DakotaUndomiel
Summary: The earth shook. Hard.When it was over and all the numbers tallied, millions were dead, the damage to cities was almost incomprehensible. When the t.v stations came back on, they all reported the same thing. The sky had split open and vomited a huge ship into our atmosphere.





	The Supplement

 

The earth shook. Hard. 

When it was over and all the numbers tallied, millions were dead, the damage to cities was almost incomprehensible. When the t.v stations came back on, they all reported the same thing. The sky had split open and vomited a huge ship into our atmosphere. 

 

A few days after, they reported the major governments had all been replaced. The Americans, Canadians, the European Union, the Middle East...all pared down and replaced with the aliens. It was astounding news, in an unbelievably bad way. I figured I was safe out here in the woods. The nearest town where I went for groceries, gas, and banking hadn’t been hit too hard. So I topped off my supplies, enabling me to live alone comfortably for years before I’d need anything. I headed out of town and back home believing the mind-blowing global changes wouldn’t affect me.

 

A month later, a lone woman walked up my driveway. I was sitting on my porch, reading.  I offered her a glass of water from the spring. Once she was settled in the shade she told me she’d walked out from town. I asked her why she didn’t drive and she looked at me funny.

“We don’t drive.” She took a drink of her water before continuing. “We did it to create balance you know. Balance in all things. We’d like you to become a producer.”

“Of what?”

“Food.”

“You invade our planet, cause planetary upheaval, kill millions and you’re here asking me to be a farmer?”

“Think of it more as a life re-assignment.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Certainly. There is always deletion.” She drank her water and watched the trees sway.

“Yeah, farming is a good idea.” I nodded. I wasn’t ready to die just yet. 

“Tomorrow, a transport will bring seeds, soil supplement, water tanks and other equipment. You will grow the seeds we provide, we will reward you for a successful bounty.” She turned her head to watch me and for the first time, I noticed she had feline irises the colour of amethyst.

“What if I’m not successful?” I asked.

“You don’t want to know the specifics.” She rose and handed me her glass. “Failure is not an option. I will come with the transport. You will answer only to me. Will this be a problem?”

“Not at all.” I tried to smile and stood up too. “Can I ask what I’ll be growing?”

“You will be given information, but I can tell you the moss will produce energy and the ferns for medicine. The rest will be food. I will come tomorrow.”

With that, she stepped off the porch and down the driveway.

 

I didn’t sleep well that night, too full of questions I was afraid to ask when she came back. Twenty four hour news channels reported a decrease in cancers around the world, and a lot of the reporters seemed to credit the aliens. I tried to get more information online, but I couldn’t connect to the web. My gut churned and gnawed on itself. Something wasn’t right.

 

I went outside as the sun rose, looking at my land with a critical eye. I didn’t notice the lack of birds right off, distracted as I was. Even as I realized the woods surrounding my land were quieter than normal, a large box-shaped flying craft angled through the sky and landed close to my barn. A ramp lowered my visitor from the previous day to the dirt and she nodded briskly to me. “Are we still agreed on your purpose?”

I wanted to stay alive, so I nodded.

“I have brought all you should need. There is literature in your language. I will check on you occasionally.” she turned back toward the interior of the craft and gestured before coming to stand beside me. As we watched a young male guide a heavily loaded, hovering platform into my barn, she spoke again. “Remember, a successful harvest will be rewarded.”

“And what will you reward me with?” The words slipped out before I had a chance to consider how foolhardy they were.

Her eyes were swirling tornadoes of purple and black when she faced me. “Life,” she replied menacingly.

 

When they left, I went into the barn to find it piled with crates. The smallest of them was wooden and marked with #1 on the side. It held all the literature my new overseer had promised. I took it back to the house. On the porch, I sat and read what they had left me. There was a contents list for the other crates, instructions on how to grow their seeds, preferred conditions, descriptions of the equipment, their uses and so on. Over lunch I turned on the news, thinking I’d watch while I ate my sandwich. The reporters were different, none of the locals were the faces we’d become accustomed to seeing. Those in front of the camera reported increased employment and hospital funding. The national news buzzed with a high number of suicides. Confused, I shut it off and went back to the barn. By dinner, I had broken ground, handpicked rocks and set those aside for a low stone wall and organized seeds into groups needing similar growing conditions. The next day, I planted the first seeds and prepared two more fields. I had a bath before dinner and settled in to watch the news while I ate. Locally, we were in better shape than ever. National news reported a different picture. Riots, uprisings against the new governments, cities being placed under new and more restrictive laws had me pushing my plate away in worry. I took one of my last bottles of beer from the fridge and went to sit outside. The stars didn’t look any different, but my world felt rocked and unstable.

 

The next day, according to the information left to me, I was to spread the growth supplement over the soil. I opened the crate to find it full of a slightly pink, thick gel. I diluted it according to written directions, then used the spreader to ensure an even distribution. Out in the second field, the spreader jammed.

I set it down and peered inside.

 

A single finger had wedged inside the distribution coil.

My gaze settled on the gold band wrapped around the finger and I felt my breakfast come crawling back up.

 

I knew what the pink gel was then. The gel that provided the protein for their seeds to grow and thrive. It was the price of failure.

It was us.

 

The end   

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to know what you think of this short foray into disturbing science fiction. Leave your thoughts in the comment box!


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